Beach Birthday

Beach babies

I love the beach. I love the sun, the sand, the breeze. But most of all, I love the ocean. Looking out to the horizon. Hearing the waves. Watching how the light hits the water. The immensity of it helps me put things in perspective and breathe a little more deeply.

So you can imagine how thrilled I was for our extended family vacation at Orange Beach, Alabama, in June. Not only did the Bradshaw crew show up, but both of my sisters, plus their husbands and children, came with us, along with my sweet Daddy! It was a reunion on the coast!

Days 1

Decor inspired by the Flying Dutchman.
For real.

We drove down on a Saturday and checked into two corner units at Tidewater Condos. Because we were such a big group, we got two condos with three bedrooms each in them. This allowed everyone to spread out just a bit. (One of the condos we rented was decorated to the hilt in shells. It gave off a distinct Davy Jones' Locker vibe, and it was theming hard. Literally everything was encrusted with shells - the mirrors, the chandelier, candlesticks, random pieces of furniture, art on the walls - everything. This was a commitment, people.)

That first night, we didn't do too much other than have dinner and make a giant grocery run. (While we were in town, we ate at the condos a lot, cooking big, beautiful breakfasts and dinners for our group, and usually throwing together light lunches or eating out midday.) After we got settled into our rooms, none of us wasted any time getting to the water. The kids jumped right in!

Day 2

The next morning, myself and my sisters went for a long, relaxing walk on the beach to talk, laugh and catch up. Since Grace moved to Oregon, we're rarely all together again, so it's extra special to fall back into our old comfortable cadence with one another. We also got all of our gear (chairs, umbrellas, towels, etc.) down to the beach so we could spend the day there comfortably.

Though I've been to beaches several times over the past few years, it had been quite a while since I'd actually swum in the ocean. I'd forgotten how wonderful it is. The water wasn't too cold, and the waves were terrific! Once we were further out, it was so relaxing to move with the tide and look back at the shore. I made it a point to swim in the ocean often during our week in Orange Beach. I loved it so.

On the second day, we went out for a big, beautiful lunch at the Shrimp Basket. (If you go to Orange Beach, you have to eat there at least once. It's like a rule.) I had a gorgeous plate of shrimp and veggies. Mmmmmm!!

Day 3

Our big activity on this day was to have our group family photos made! When we'd booked our trip, I'd found a great local photographer - Lacey Marie - and booked a family session on the beach. We all agreed to wear aqua and coral and put our best foot forward. We spent about an hour with her during our session, and she took TONS of photos - big groups, just the grandkids, couples, the smaller families, sisters, all the girls, all the guys - just every combination you could imagine. Some shots were posed, and others were more candid.

She did an amazing job wrangling our large group and giving us good direction. She kept it light and fun, and she was great with the kids.

For the session we booked, we received about 50 high-resolution digital images, and I couldn't have been more pleased with them. They are gorgeous, and we all love them.

More to come . . .

We loved the images from our beach portrait session!